I remember walking down Ridgeway street with my friends after school singing “The Greatest Love of All”,sung by Whitney Houston. After all, she was singing directly to us. “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside.” I could keep on recollecting the words of this song, but the next line talks about pride, and that reminds me of the devil.
In “The Greatest Love of All”, Whitney sings about how learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all. Even though I agree that learning to love yourself is vitally important, it is not the greatest love of all. There was a young man who asked Jesus. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment?” To which Jesus responded, “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
So you see, “love your neighbor as yourself” is the second greatest commandment, which inevitably involves learning to love yourself. How can you love someone else as yourself if you haven’t learned to love yourself? Thus, Whitney Houston almost had it right, but there is a greater love.
The first and greatest commandment, Jesus said, is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Why? Because no one loves you more than God. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus laid down his life for us. He died on a cross for us after being brutally beaten. He went down to hell and recovered the keys to hell and death. Finally, Jesus rose again from the dead so that we could have new life through his blood shed on the cross through forgiveness of sins.
We love Jesus because he first loved us. How did Jesus love us? By dying on a cross for us. Jesus showed the greatest love of all by dying for us. Another famous singer named Prince sang a song, “I will die for you.” However, Prince never died for anyone, but Jesus died for everyone in the entire world. Will you accept the greatest love of all today? Just say, “Jesus, I accept your sacrifice on the cross for me. Thank you for dying for me. Please forgive my sins and make me a child of God in Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Love healing hearts,
Shirah Chante
Relationship Artist
Listen to “The Greatest Love of All” podcast episode on my show Teens Draw Near to God.